Latest Entries »

Well, let’s see, where did we leave off?

It has been a long time since our last blog entry. On one hand a lot has happened to us, and on the other, we are right back where we started.

The end of our season cutting rumble strips on the side of the highway ended very strangely leaving us only three days to leave the job just north of Indianapolis, run back to Minneapolis to retrieve the motor home (we lived in hotels while working), and make it back to southern West Virginia by Thanksgiving.

IMG_20131114_093519DSCN5672

 

With record cold temperatures, fuel and air systems acted up on the RV, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle (sure did make the trip interesting though). We pulled into Pipestem, WV at Mark’s parents house just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with the family.

DSCN5765791

DSCN5900

 

We stayed an extra week in southern WV to help Mark’s dad cut some firewood for the winter, then we were chased further south by snow and cold temperatures. We went back to our hometown of Lucia, NC where our long-time friends Mike and Susan showed us warmth and hospitality by insisting that we set up camp in their driveway.

DSCN5924DSCN5902

It was a nice visit with family and friends, but the cold temperatures and the dreary rainy conditions inspired us to build a motorcycle rack, get the bike out of storage, load up , and head further south.

958973

Florida was the only reasonable destination. With the high price of all campgrounds in the area (being peak season) we did little more than break even at our second adventure of working the three big Daytona events.

15131105

The 24 hour Rolex, Daytona 500(speed week), and Bike Week. Second verse, same as the first…a wild 24 hour race, another rain delayed Daytona 500(complete with tornado warning), and a fun-filled bike week.

129013844121

 

The brutal winter of 2013/2014 didn’t completely spare Florida but is was a lot nicer than most of the rest of the country, and it did inspire Mike and Susan to travel down to the Sunshine State to enjoy some of the nicer weather for a week. Having the motorcycle with us made it nice for us to travel around and see family. We enjoyed a trip to Jacksonville to see Mark’s cousin and family, then to Ponce de Leon springs to eat pancakes with Tracy’s Aunt and Uncle then to Plant City to see Mark’s other cousin and check out the Strawberry Festival, back through Orlando to visit again with Tracy’s Aunt and Uncle, we even got to see Tracy’s sister while she and Steve were in town. So glad we got to, as we recently lost Steve to cancer.

1134IMG_20140301_134130IMG_20140217_100056

The motorcycle rack on the motor home did not make for comfortable travel, so when the weather broke, it was back north to the Carolina’s to trade out “the rack” for the trailer. Mark got a couple of weeks work in with a construction company, which earned us just enough money to pay for fuel back west.

260

 

We had a couple of job offers that didn’t really pan out, but Lake Powell/Aramark made us good concrete offers that we could act on. We never heard a peep from the rumble strip company over the off-season but maybe they will contact us soon. In the mean time, we have enjoyed Mark’s parents coming to North Carolina to see us off, and have enjoyed visits with all of the family and friends, but the west is calling our name, so away we go again…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

We survived the 11 day shutdown of the National Parks and then got a few more work days in, then – Wham! – a job offer too intriguing to turn down. It has been our “sort of” plans to head back east toward family and friends in North Carolina and West Virginia with a short visit in Arkansas along the way, but changing plans and not knowing what’s around the next corner is one of the things we enjoy about our new lifestyle.

After over staying our work contract with Aramark by a month or so, they were very understanding when we found out Tuesday that we needed to be in Minnesota, some 1900 miles away, by Monday. Luckily, with the indecision of the federal government of whether or not to let the National Parks function, we had already prepared ourselves and our motor home for a move.

So its say our goodbyes, head south out of Page, AZ, leaving Lake Powell in our “wake”. Back through the heart of the Navajo Nation, crossing the Hopi Indian Reservation, through Window Rock, AZ, next thing we know we are back on I-40 in New Mexico. Crossing a new state line puts into perspective how much we have experienced in our time on the Arizona-Utah border.

DSCN5167IMG_20130918_181731DSCN5290

So we find ourselves on the 16th of October heading to – of all places – Minneapolis/St. US mapPaul, Minnesota (actually a suburb called Rogers). Of course, in our journey we like to take the interesting routes. So we exit I-40 and head Northeast, which after traveling through the northern panhandle of Texas and the western panhandle of Oklahoma, we find ourselves in Dodge City, Kansas. It was time for a break, so we took in the sights and then set up “camp” in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

DSCN53391572DSCN5352

DSCN5407DSCN5450

IMG_20131018_094104

After a restful nights sleep, we arose to the sight of more than two inches of snow with more falling by the minute! So we decide it was time to “get the heck out of Dodge”.

Proceeding North and East offered little relief as far as snowfall and, of course, in the middle of it all, we had a minor break down which required climbing under the motor home. Shortly after moving again, we were rear-ended. No significant damage done, but still an inconvenience.

DSCN5457IMG_20131018_122854DSCN5463

Crossing diagonally across Kansas we end up in much better weather in the beautiful farmlands of Nebraska. Reaching I-80 in the Omaha area we begin to notice that we get to enjoy some fall foliage. Take our word for it, America’s heartland has a lot to offer the nomadic sightseer.

IMG_20131018_161654DSCN5503DSCN5480

001007003

Anyway, more about our job offer, an old friend that Mark helped get into the heavy equipment/trucking business years ago, had been telling us of a job opportunity that involves traveling to various states installing the rumble strips on the sides of the highways (apparently a very lucrative business). The company is located in Rogers, Minnesota hence our hurried cross-country journey.

DSCN5549IMG_20131021_160151

The official job offer has been accepted and after two days in Rogers, we are on the road again with a tractor-trailer (the trailer is “The Machine”) and a brand new Ford F-450 service truck with our old friend Zane showing us the ropes. A few days into it, and we are up and running and pretty sure that after the winter shutdown – next year – we will have a career that will allow us to continue traveling and earn a pretty handsome income as well. For now, we will continue to learn the trade and enjoy our travels in the Upper Midwest.

IMG_20131023_074011IMG_20131023_085153IMG_20131023_080911

We think we’re gonna re-route our trip.

We wonder if anyone’d think we flipped.

If we went to Charlotte via Omaha?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

Not sure if this is a “midlife” crisis or if it is just in our adventurous nature, but it seems as if the more interesting things that we experience the healthier our appetite becomes for seeing, doing, traveling, and just getting out and finding out what else life could possibly offer.

DSCN4321DSCN4397DSCN4346

We have also noticed that by being in a work-camping environment that we have surrounded ourselves with like-minded people.

Lake Powell/Aramark has been our most lengthy seasonal employment opportunity to date, which has, so far, been extended to 7 months, which in seasonal work is quite a long assignment. However, a better environment for a long stay would be hard to find.

IMG_20130730_135120IMG_20130919_125141IMG_20130824_172935

While we have been in this area, we have enjoyed approximately 3000 miles of off-road travel that has been the adventure of a lifetime, not to mention monsoon rains in the desert, high winds, high temperatures, camping in the desert, camping in the wilderness, trips to Vegas, trips to the Grand Canyon, and recently off to Flagstaff and Winslow.

DSCN4375IMG_20130908_145632DSCN4336

IMG_20130813_201821DSCN4995DSCN4480

DSCN4841

Of course traveling with our new friends, Doug and Teresa, we have to see everything along the way as well as places off the beaten path such as Sunset Crater National Monument (volcanoes) and lava tubes, Wupatki National Monument, which is shadowed by the San Francisco Peaks and filled with ancient Indian ruins with the painted desert  serving as a backdrop.

DSCN5009DSCN5075DSCN5061

DSCN4949DSCN4712DSCN5161

The working part of work-camping has made it possible to perform a lot of maintenance on our house on wheels as well as our “adventure mobile”.DSCN4438

Fresh rubber all around both vehicles, new muffler and tailpipe, front u-joints for jeep, new airbag suspensions, fresh service on engine and transmission, rebuilt leveler as well as commode for the house and a nice fresh coat of wax on all of the paint. Hopefully we have covered our bases for a nice smooth trip back across the U.S. because as we mentioned in our last entry, when this gig is up we are travelling east for a season to visit with family and whoever else is interested.

IMG_20130809_055956DSCN4676IMG_20130813_132535

IMG_20130812_174936IMG_20130803_114714IMG_20130909_092732

DSCN4386DSCN4430IMG_20130731_090322

DSCN4448DSCN4554DSCN4522

099DSCN4461DSCN4687

In the meantime, we will continue to see what we can here until the season is over or until the government makes the decision to shut down the National Parks instead of not wasting money elsewhere, then see what adventures await us on the trail “back east”.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Family Reunion

Where to begin…We have experienced a lot of different things between our last blog entry and this one, but we will try to get up to date.

We left our work camping paradise on Lake Powell and caught a ride to Vegas with Doug and Teresa for a very enjoyable night on the town before boarding our plane back east for the Taylor Family Reunion.

DSCN2919DSCN2920

Arriving in North Carolina, it was nice to see our kids (and theirs) and we were able to accomplish a few needed things then make the drive to southern West Virginia to reunite with both sets of parents as well as most of the extended family (some of whom we haven’t seen in years).

DSCN3017DSCN3031

Guess this is typical of family reunions, but this one had its own unique feel and we must say, it was a joy to see everyone that was there and we sorely missed those that were not, especially those that are no longer with us.

865870868

DSCN3043DSCN3135DSCN3124

After the official reunion it was nice to just be back on the family farm, overlooking the new river, just relaxing for a day or so and be around the parents, kids and grandkids.

854864859

After a short visit to the local state park (Pipestem State Park and Resort) it was get busy driving to North Carolina to catch our flight back to Las Vegas, but this time with an extra passenger.

DSCN3161My beautiful pictureMy beautiful picture

Work camping jobs sometimes are just relaxed enough that you can take your oldest grandson along and still make a living while enjoying their company. After another great evening in “Sin City” with JT.  Doug and Teresa proved their friendship again by driving the 276 mile trip to pick us up.

777DSCN2969DSCN3370

DSCN3395DSCN3371

On our return trip to Page, AZ, we toured the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (complete with race car rides), the Valley of Fire State Park (where it was 116*), then off to St. George, UT where we spent the night so that we could visit Zion National Park the next day, along with the old Gun Smoke set and the movie set museum in Kanab, UT. Wow what a week!

My beautiful pictureDSCN3494My beautiful picture

157297277

Anyway, back to the pattern of work some – play some – but keeping JT entertained is motivating us even more on the “play some” side, so other highlights include renting a boat for an overnight camping trip on the sandy beach at the end of Anasazi Canyon complete with arches, waterfalls, 1,000 ft. canyon walls, and the echo of drumming by firelight with the silhouette of a true native American boy dancing on the walls before bed time. Not to mention the 60 mile boat trip to get there with narrated tours of other canyons provided by Doug. In the evenings after work, we enjoy short trips to Lone Rock in the Jeep, or off to Horseshoe bend, or the local museums, or anything else right here close. We have also enjoyed more tour boat rides as well as a weekend trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

386432401

515526527

Our North Rim trip was not the typical tourist trip, even though we did visit the “Official” National Park – our journey was the Good ‘Ol Boy” version that took us all back roads through the canyons, by the Vermillion Cliffs to the high deserts – right to the edge – then straight up to the Kaibab Plateau where we camped in our wilderness site with “killer” views from the mountain, right into the Grand Canyon.

DSCN3604DSCN3693DSCN3626

014DSCN3682039

DSCN3719DSCN3737DSCN3735

DSCN3768DSCN3691

Working four days on, three days off, has afforded us time to enjoy JT’s company for one of the best months of our lives as it motivated us to not only entertain him, but ourselves as well. Unfortunately, as they say, “all good things must come to an end”, and before we know it, it’s time to get him back to the airport in Vegas. We do have a three-day weekend though, and want to end our visit on an adventurous high note, so, we rent a car and off to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon we go. More gorgeous views and an enjoyable visit while JT earned his third Junior Ranger badge, then its off to Route 66 where we all enjoyed the towns of Seligman, Kingman, and Peach Springs, where we are all convinced that the cartoon movie Cars got its inspiration.

DSCN398332562758

DSCN4031DSCN4036DSCN4064

As nighttime is approaching, we wonder if our choice to tent camp was wise due to a lack of campgrounds, but we drive to the top of Hualapai Mountain and find a remote campground and pitch our tent. When morning arrives, our doubts about camping are completely erased with JT’s amazing ability to lure an elk into the campsite with a honey bun. Before you know it, he has it eating right out of his hand! Absolutely awesome!

DSCN400729642948

297429932982

Leaving his new-found friend behind was almost as tough for him as leaving the friends he has made at Lake Powell, but we all want to see more, so away we go to Lake Havasu to check out the town, the island and of course the London Bridge.

265428232703

3013DSCN4142

Proceeding north, we enter Southern California and travel the Needles Highway back into the southern tip of Nevada into Laughlin (a quick look around the Colorado River gambling town) then due west and due north to the Hoover Dam.

DSCN4221DSCN4224DSCN4223

Wow – this kid is wearing us out – just kidding, as a matter of fact, it has now become obvious to us all that we are very close to Las Vegas and that means that our visit is officially winding down.

DSCN42733048DSCN4288

Such a range of emotions we have all never experienced. Elated to have had this time together, but so sad that we will all miss each other whenever JT returns home. Happy for the memories that we have all made, but sorrow filled that there will be thousands of miles between us. This, to us, has been the only negative to work camping – our adventurous spirits have led us west, but our family is east – it has afforded us the 926opportunity to share the most beautiful landscapes on earth with one of our 4 grandsons and look forward to trips with the other 3, but maybe after this job, maybe it’s time to find work camping back east for a while – since our house is on wheels and home is where we park it – what the heck…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As we mentioned in our last entry, new friends are probably the best part of the work-camping lifestyle.

With the different jobs, there is the constant changing of scenery, geography, elevation, topography, geology, temperature, climate, weather – not to mention workplaces, situations, job descriptions and careers, but one of the most interesting things is the different characters we have met along the way.

165DSCF5310DSCN1666

The work here is enjoyable, but the weekends are filled with trips to places like Canyon de Chelly, where we enjoyed more cliff dwellings and the amazing spyder women (rock formations) which are as tall as skyscrapers. Along the road to the canyon we visited the oldest  town in the US (Pollaca, AZ), which is just a more modern form of cliff dwelling. Thanks David.

DSCN1959DSCN2013DSCN1961

DSCN1837DSCN1857DSCN1858

We also enjoyed a visit to the historic Hubble Trading Post which is completely full of interesting artifacts from the old west days.

DSCN1889DSCN1905DSCN1898

Living right on the border of Arizona and Utah makes for unlimited four-wheel drive DSCF5424adventures which our new-found friends Doug and Theresa are happy to provide narrated tours of. Both being tour boat captains and Doug being a Utah native, brings a level of local knowledge that we are thoroughly enjoying – not to mention the great growing friendships that we are all enjoying. So far, we have logged somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 miles off-road (250 in one camping trip alone) and it seems as if there are thousands more to explore.

DSCN2092DSCN2286DSCN2157

DSCN2331031006

From overlooking Lee’s Ferry, which is where Grand Canyon Rafting Tours originate, to Kelly’s Grade, where you can drive to the top of a Mesa, to Smoky Mountain, where lightning struck the mountain some 30 years ago and ignited the coal which is still smoldering today, to places named Death Ridge, Box Death Hollow and Hells Backbone, to the beautiful Boulder Mountain in Dixie National Forest where you can enjoy camping in the cool mountain air while overlooking the desert.

DSCN2179DSCN2189DSCN2187

DSCN2369DSCN2432DSCN2380

DSCN2447DSCN2499DSCN2438

There is so much to see here that a lifetime of exploring would probably not be long enough. The only thing we can do is give it our best shot and get out every weekend and see all that we can – with National Parks and off-roading and everything in between all that we know to say is this is a great country with great people and we are so fortunate to be able to enjoy them both.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

DSCN1143

 

The fifteen hundred mile trip from the Rio Grande Valley to Page, AZ was just like every other commute to our next seasonal job. Ho hum – drive a little, stop, get out the camera, look at the natural wonder, drive some more, oh, look at the wildlife, drive some more, ooh, did you see that?, look over there, find a campsite, look at the sunset, get up the next day, see the worlds largest whatever, another state line, another time zone, follow the scenic byway, cross the Continental Divide – again. All sarcasm aside – this is an absolute dream.

DSCN0098DSCN0105

DSCN1656Arriving in Page, we realize we are at the center of what is called the Grand Circle.

If you go 250 miles from here, in any direction, you would find 9DSCN0208 National Parks, 24 National Monuments, 43 State Parks in Utah alone, unending scenic highways, Archeological wonders, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon, and 3 National Recreation Areas, one of which, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, we get to live work and play right in the middle of.

DSCN0102284

Our new jobs entail Tracy working as an agent selling boat tours of the beautiful Lake Powell/Colorado River Basin as well as part-time Deck hand on these same tour boats. Some of the perks include being able to take your friends and family on these most impressive boat trips.

410513512

Mark’s job is to keep the diesel engines/generators and all related things in tour boats operational.

DSCN0189155004

Tracy being able to include friends and family is coming in handy as we are enjoying a visit from Tracy’s Dad, Ed and our friend LaVona, from Oregon … both at the same time, so naturally boat tours, four wheelin’ and National Parks are on the itinerary.

When our only visitors, to date, arrive, we decide that an obscure National Park that would usually not be particularly accessible is the one we want to visit. Capitol Reef National Park is only a 48 mile dirt road, then about 150 miles of asphalt away.

DSCN1144DSCN1261DSCN1163

What a day! Great scenery including the water pocket fold where the earths crust slammed together to form the Rocky Mountains and the beautiful Mesa’s and Buttes and all sorts of geological oddities in the region.

DSCN1270DSCN0213452

There is also a historic farming town called Fruita where the ground was perfect for growing fruit.

DSCN1298DSCN1306DSCN1294

The next day, we enjoy a tour on Lake Powell and ride on the famous tour boat the “Nonne Zoshi” which is Navajo for “Rainbow turned to Stone” which is exactly where it takes you to, the world’s largest Natural Stone Bridge.

DSCN0957DSCN1094DSCN0969

DSCN1089DSCN1054DSCN1052

A fifty mile boat ride, then a one mile hike and we arrive at a stone bridge large enough to fit the US Capitol building underneath. Awesome.

After our tour of the first 1/4 of the 189 mile long lake, we return to the town of Page (across the bridge by the Glen Canyon Dam) and just a little south on highway 89 to Horseshoe Bend. A place where you can stand at the edge of a 1,000 foot cliff overlooking a most impressive “bend” in the Colorado River. On certain days, you can also enjoy the 50 mph wind coming up the canyon walls, pelting you with sand. Needless to say – we didn’t stay long.

DSCN0120DSCN0127DSCN0143

amangiiriTime is running short with our guests, so on our last day together, we take a quick tour of a resort called Amangiri – a playground for the extremely wealthy ($7500 a night) hah, not on this salary – anyway from there we visited the Carl Hayden visitor center which tells us the history of how the town of Page was built exclusively for the workers building the dam and for the old Colorado river tours that were done before the 1950 completion of the Dam and the following 17 years it took for the lake to fill.

DSCN0674DSCN0681DSCN0678

After the visitors center, it’s off to the airport to bid farewell to Ed and to try to convey just how much this visit meant to us. LaVona still has a couple more days with us, but we have to work, so visiting is having dinners together in the evenings, maybe a short trip to Lone Rock, and Tracy arranging more boat tours to fill the day.

DSCN0551DSCN0620DSCN0579

As our socializing with friends and family concludes, we want to thank LaVona for flying here to spend time with Tracy for her birthday and look forward to our next adventures together.

Speaking of adventures, we have Navajo and Antelope Canyon Tours to enjoy together as well as Jeeping this beautiful desert back country. We have bumbled into movie sets and scenes such as where The Outlaw Josey Wales, Planet of the Apes, Moses, and Maverick were filmed – just to name a few.

DSCN0700DSCN1647DSCN1634

DSCN0797We have already made some good friends which is another oneDSCN1474 of the advantages to work camping, friends with Jeeps, Toyota’s,  4×4 pick ups and great senses of adventure. Boat Captains, Mechanics, Deck hands, accountants, restaurant workers, all of us 4 wheeling around in the desert and the canyons and the mountains and the mesas – some are locals and for the most part know their way around, others are from here and there, but as we are quickly learning – this is BIG outdoors and there is always something new for each of us to enjoy.

DSCN0735DSCN0729DSCN0728

We hope you will enjoy our slide show.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

DSCN9195Leaving the Santa Fe area, we follow the Mother Road (route 66) as far as we can. Then it’s back on I-40 through Albuquerque to Gallup. Then back off of the Interstate onto, of all things, route 666 (now renumbered 491) which takes us due north crossing the entire east side of the Navajo Nation. Crossing into Colorado we find a Passport America Campground in the nice little town of Cortez, which puts us only a short 15 minute drive to Mesa Verde National Park.

DSCN9214DSCN9398DSCN9235

Visiting Mesa Verde has been on our “bucket list” of places to visit, which makes a nice even dozen of National Parks that we have visited since we have become work campers.

DSCN9246DSCN9392

Mesa Verde is a walk back in time from about AD 550 to AD 1300 when the Pueblo people inhabited pit houses and then the cliff dwellings and farmed the land above the cliffs on the mesas. A pretty cool thing to be able to photograph with your modern digital camera.

DSCN9313DSCN9340DSCN9343

DSCN9354DSCN9382DSCN9378

After a nice visit to this National Park located in the southwest corner of Colorado, it’s time to move along and keep heading toward our new jobs on the Arizona-Utah border.

Heading west, we follow highway 160 to The Four Corners – another place on our “bucket list” – the only place in the United States that you can stand in four states at the same time – neat.

798DSCN9423

DSCN9429DSCN9438DSCN9430

After shopping with the Native Americans and checking out their handmade wares and enjoying an Indian Taco for lunch, its time to move along again and continue west onto highway 163 which leads us into some of the most beautiful landscape we have ever seen.

807DSCN9441DSCN9447

DSCN9442854DSCN9443

We even found a new adjective – Spectacular. The only way to describe Monument Valley – Spectacular! When we first approached the valley, we were so impressed, we pulled the RV into a “scenic view” pull-off and just sat and watched the different color schemes play out across the desert, buttes and mesas.

907DSCN94991727

Spectacular

DSCN951517231724

What the heck – after a show like that, we just spend the night in the scenic view area, then arise the next morning and head to the Navajo Tribal Park where we pay $4.00 to unhook the Jeep and drive right down into the valley. Awesome! If you ever wanted to experience the John Wayne “old west”, Monument Valley should be your destination.

DSCN9538DSCN9593DSCN9581

DSCN9603910

920DSCN9650

As much as we enjoy our visit to this amazing natural wonder, we do have responsibilities, one of which is to arrive at Lake Powell in time to start our new seasonal jobs.

DSCN9674

Work camping has afforded us some time and some money, which is the perfect recipe for exploring this beautiful country.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Get Your Kicks

Aaahh. It feels good to be moving again. We have accepted jobs in Glen Canyon at Lake Powell in Page, AZ, so it’s another road trip to anotherDSCN8710 employment opportunity. Making our way North/West across Texas, we find a new highway back to San Antonio, then find ourselves doing something we haven’t done on this trip, which is repeating a highway. We find we have no choice but to get back on I-10 and travel 300 miles of DSCN8743highway that we have already seen. Bummer, but it leads us back to Fort Stockton where we escape the “I” and head north on 285 through Pecos, where we had to replace the steer tires on the RV, then eventually out of the great state of Texas and into “the Land of Enchantment” – New Mexico.

Following 285 brings us into Carlsbad – of the famed Carlsbad Caverns. We find a nice camp-spot in the Wal-Mart parking lot – unhook the Jeep and head for the underground national park.

DSCN8747DSCN8769DSCN8752

Of course, the attraction here is the 715 known caves, but we are here to see the “Cavern”.127

Approaching what they call the “Natural Entrance”, we are amazed to see this giant hole in the earth that leads us on a one mile decent through the main corridor into the “Big Room” , which is 14 acres in itself.

DSCN8778DSCN8782DSCN8779

DSCN8809DSCN8882DSCN8877

After another one and a half mile hike 750 feet below the surface, we are glad to find the “lunch room”, and underground restaurant, and the elevator that whisks you 75 stories back to the light of day.

DSCN8816DSCN8937DSCN8929

Now we have explored a few caves in our day, but this one is the most expansive and impressive. We highly recommend Carlsbad Caverns to anyone who is ever in this area, just as it was recommended to us by June and Ernie from Mesquite Haven in Texas.

DSCN8893DSCN8935DSCN8932

As we travel on, we pass through Roswell, NM and are surprised to see that  it is a fairly large city.

DSCN8756DSCN8991DSCN8984

No alien abduction, so we keep traveling and end up on historic Route 66. Just 50 miles south of Santa Fe.

031520131736DSCN9034DSCN9024

A great place to get a campsite and do some exploring. We follow the Turquoise Trail (Highway 14) north and find ourselves pulling into a familiar looking town – the town of Madrid, which was the location of a lot of the movie Wild Hogs.

DSCN9038DSCN9050031620131739

Hmmm.

DSCN9061DSCN9067DSCN9069

Nice surprise on our way to Santa Fe – which is a pretty nice town of its own. Beautiful scenery, art, landscape, homes and people.

DSCN9095DSCN9130DSCN9105

New Mexico truly is the “Land of Enchantment”.

DSCN9142DSCN9147DSCN9149

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

115Well, another month has come and gone, and with working so many seven-day weeks, our winter season in south Texas is flying by and coming to a close.

Thanks to the Shade Shoppe Training School, we were able to earn enough to travel on to our next adventure.

034We have to say one of the best things about being in the Rio Grande Valley has been our home life at the Mesquite Haven RV Park.

It’s a small park with only about 25 lots, but each spot is filled with the006 friendliest most down to earth people – most of whom come south in the winter to escape the frigid temperatures of Americas heartland to enjoy the tropical climate found here. At least that is the excuse they use, but we are starting to think there is more to it than that, especially listening to the folks who tell us that they have been coming back to this exact location year after year.

Maybe its the hospitality they feel from the owner, Colleen, who is just the sweetest lady you would ever want to meet or the “wild” get togethers that June and Ernie (our new grandparents) throw. If June can think of an excuse for all of us to get together in the clubhouse and enjoy a meal and fellowship you better be there … or not – she’ll let you know you are welcome to be there – or not … but ya’ better be there. We still haven’t lived down missing the funeral for June’s pet cockroach.

095096

Anyway, from Kevin – who keeps the place running, to his crazy girlfriend Venus, to Fred and Cheryl – who organize other events, to Don and Diane – the old country musicians, to Ted and Barbara – who are actually from the North Carolina mountains, to Connie and Chuck – the avid bird watchers, to Lloyd and Bernice, to Thelma and Jay (who was in the Oklahoma City Bombing), to Judy and Roger and Gene and Sue and Karen and everyone else in Mesquite Haven – you have made our time here most enjoyable and have made us feel like family.

Working here, we have learned some new skills as well as using some we already had, so that has been interesting to say the least.

053035042

We were able to create some things for ourselves such as a screen room, windshield and tire covers as well as installing solar screens in our windows for the RV which should make us more comfortable at our next “new home”.

140030031

Speaking of traveling money …Let’s goooooo!!!!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Is This A Test?

054Sometimes in life, things come down to basics. Do you trust God? Do you think if he brought you to it, he will bring you through it?DSCN8567

In our travels as work-campers, we have been more than fortunate, we have truly been blessed. We have been put in situations that we could not understand at the time only to look back and say, “hmm, that’s why that happened”.

Such is life in a big picture as well as in our immediate circumstances.

We set out over a year ago to see if it is possible to live a good life on “the road” existing on what1402 we could earn while traveling and tried to think of all of the possibilities of what could happen to us as not only as nomads, but as basic human beings.

As far as work-campers go, we are comparatively young and fairly healthy – but you just never know when our earthly bodies will throw us a curve ball.

As we are working our “jobs”, in almost the southern-most tip of Texas (to avoid the cold weather that most of the rest of the country is enjoying), Tracy’s ovary throws us the curve, so after a 3:00am trip to the emergency room, a 3 day hospital stay and 2 weeks of anxious emotions of “is it cancer?”. We have a huge hospital bill, a cancer free Tracy, who is minus one ovary and still face the challenges of trying to earn our way around the country.

091084083

As we hit the official one year anniversary of leaving the relative security of our sticks and bricks home in NC and look at our entire situation – such as, sometimes working with people who aren’t exactly pleasant and sometimes exactly the opposite – we still are very content with the choice that we made to go give the work-camping lifestyle a try.

Life throws all of us curves and tests and trials, but sometimes you just have to roll with it and 1401look for the bright spots. Our bright spots include – still being relatively healthy, having the opportunity to enjoy the sights that this great country has to offer and being able to voice our thanks for the support of our family and voice thanks to our creator. He brings us to, as well as brings us through.

1399

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.